>> sounds fun. >> thank you for joining us at 5:00. see you back here at 6:00. >> "nightly news" is next. good night. on the broadcast tonight, an nbc news exclusive. tonight, we learned a high-ranking former military official is being investigated for leaking details about what is being called the most sophisticated cyberweapon ever deployed. path to citizenship. late today, a history-making vote in e u.s. senate. the most sweeping reform to immigration in decades. on the stand, george zimmerman's defense team goes after a key witness for the prosecution in a day of compelling testimony in florida. and a breakthrough in the fight against macular degeneration. doctors say it could help millions see clearly once again. "nightly news" begins now.

good evening. nbc news has learned the former number two man in the joint chiefs at the pentagon, a now retired marine corps four-star general with a close working relationship with president obama is under investigation for leaking a top secret government project according to legal sources. it was called the stuxnet virus. it wormed its way into computers that helped control iran's nuclear program. it did a lot of damage, but the then officials say the leak of its existence to "the new york times" did its own damage to u.s. efforts against iran. at the time of the leak, the president vowed to find the person responsible. now comes our report tonight. his name is james cartwright, known as hos, his call sign as a fighter pilot. tonight he is a target of a criminal investigation by the justice department into a leak of intelligence. we begin tonight with our national investigative correspondent michael isikoff.

>> reporter: general cartwright was a key member of president obama's inner circle of national security advisers. but legal sources tell nbc that cartwright has been notified he is the target of a justice department criminal investigation into a highly sensitive leak about a covert u.s. cyberattack on iran's nuclear program. >> my attitude has been zero tolerance for these kinds of leaks. these are criminal acts when they release information like this. >> reporter: the "the new york times" last year broke the story that president obama had secretly ordered a stepped up cyberweapon attack using a malicious computer virus known as stuxnet, and that cartwright conceived and oversaw the special operation from the pentagon. >> we are trying to build a second cyber force right now. >> reporter: cartwright did not respond for a question for contact today from nbc news. and his lawyer, gregory craig, said only i have no comment. the times story disclosed key

details about the stuxnet attack, including its code name, olympic games, the cooperation of israeli intelligence, and its success in disabling nearly one thousand iranian centrifuges to enrich uranium. >> this leak was very damaging. clearly what was going on here was a method and should have been protected and it had devastating consequences. >> reporter: the legal sources say the fbi originally focused on whether the stuxnet leak came from the white house. but late last year, agents started zeroing in on cartwright, who retired from the pentagon in 2011. the motives of whoever leaked remain a mystery. >> there are many reasons why people leak classified information. sometimes it's to attack a program. sometimes it's to defend it. many times we just never know. >> reporter: white house and justice department officials declined to comment on any aspect of the case, but legal sources tell nbc news that federal prosecutors have developed their case without issuing any subpoenas for phone records from "the new york

times." brian? >> michael isikoff starting us off from our d.c. newsroom tonight. michael, thanks. as we mentioned, this was a history-making day across town on capitol hill. as the u.s. senate finally passed a sweeping immigration reform bill, it gives hope to millions living here illegally, while it will also tighten security along the border. the vote was 68-32. nbc's kelly o'donnell covering all day, with us from the hill tonight with details. kelly, good evening. >> good evening, brian. this is proof of a cultural and political shift in our country. it was a packed, standing room only senate, where democrats and republicans passed a compromise that could bring dramatic change to an immigration system that just about everyone says is broken. on the capitol steps today, waiting and hopeful undocumented immigrants who say they want this flag to be their own. >> this is saying don't deport my father. because everyone deserves to be with their parents. >> reporter: the vice president came to preside.

>> a good day. >> reporter: over the first overhaul of immigration law in almost 30 years. all 100 senators added a solemn touch, by voting from their desks. 14 republicans joined all democrats in favor. chants of "yes we can" from undocumented immigrants watching from inside the gallery. the senate plan forged by a group of democrats and republicans, it could grant 11 million undocumented immigrant legal status and a 13-month path to citizenship. creates a guest worker program and adds a so-called board surge, more agents and a border fence. >> isn't it in us to bring 11 million people out of the shadows? >> reporter: after months republican opponents label it amnesty that could drive down wages here. >> don't we need to consider the imthis policy could have on working americans? >> reporter: new jersey democrat robert menendez voted in honor of his immigrant mother.

>> of my mother, who came from cuba, worked hard, and made it possible for me to stand here today on the verge of passing an historic piece of legislation that she would have wanted me to vote for. >> reporter: risking his future ambitions by going against the conservative base, florida republican marco rubio spoke of his family's past. >> my father had someone phonetically write on a small piece of paper, the words, i am looking for work. >> reporter: as significant as this day is, it's not over. republicans in the house don't like this plan and want to write their own. they just don't believe the border security will actually happen, and that the reforms will actually stop illegal immigration. brian? >> kelly o'donnell on the hill tonight. kelly, thanks. for president obama, this was a day mixed with personal reflection and politics in the west african coastal nation of senegal. it included a visit to one of the most important landmarks on

the continent for many african-americans. a report from chief white house correspondent chuck todd, traveling with the president. >> reporter: the president joined by the first family at the threshold of the door of no return. a symbolic memorial to the millions of enslaved africans on senegal's goree island. >> for an african-american african-american president, to be able to visit this site i think gives me even greater motivation in terms of the defense of human rights around the world. >> reporter: here in senegal, a west african democracy of 13 million people, the reception resembled a homecoming of sorts. security is expensive and tight for the first family's visit. it took an unusual fleet of six boats to get the president to and from goree island. first lady michelle obama is keeping her own schedule, speaking to young girls at this middle school and sharing this moment on her new instagram account. while in africa, the president couldn't escape politics back home. taking questions while beside

the president of senegal. talked about his hope of getting same-sex marriage recognized nationwide. >> i'm speaking now as a president as opposed to a lawyer that if you have been married in massachusetts and you move some place else, you're still married. >> reporter: senegal is a country that criminalizes homosexuality. and while the president did not raise this issue privately with senegal's president, he leveled this minor critique publicly. >> i think we have to respect the diversity of views that are there. when it comes to how the state treats people, i believe everybody has to be treated equally. >> reporter: on the hunt for nsa leaker edward snowden, the president downplayed diplomatic impact with china and russia and ruled out using military assets. >> reporter: no, i'm not going to be scrambling jets to get a 29-year-old hacker. >> reporter: tomorrow, the president heads to south africa, where the health of nelson mandela looms large over the visit. traveling with the president, chuck todd, nbc news, dakar, senegal.

and an update here from south africa. nelson mandela is maintaining his fight for life while remaining in critical condition. the vigil outside the hospital there in pretoria continues to grow, with south africans offering prayers and songs and good wishes. the government says mandela has improved somewhat from this time last night. one of his daughters, however, told south african television "it doesn't look good." however, another mandela daughter who visited with him last night, spoke by telephone today with nbc news contributor charlene hunter gall. >> when i got in, and i greet him, madiba opened his eyes. >> how would you describe his condition at this moment? >> i would just say that it's typical for a 94-year-old man, you know, whose health is frail. his condition has improved tremendously overnight. we remain upbeat and hopeful. i can't stress enough what a fighter he is. he's not wanting to go anywhere anytime soon. >> that was nelson mandela's

daughter zindzi in a conversation with us earlier today. in boston, federal prosecutors unveiled a 30-count indictment against boston bombing suspect dzhokhar tsarnaev. among the charges, using weapons of mass destruction, killing four people. according to the indictment, tsarnaev downloaded bomb making instructions on the web, and details of an anti-american diatribe he wrote while inside the boat where he was captured. now to florida. another day of compelling testimony in the george zimmerman trial. on the stand again today, the woman on the phone with trayvon martin in the moments leading up to that deadly confrontation. she faced tough questions from the defense, trying to shake her story. ron mott outside the courthouse in sanford, florida. ron, good evening. >> reporter: hey, brian, good evening to you. round two between the defense and key prosecution witness. it was just as tense today as yesterday. the defense made it clear it was not backing down.

>> are you okay this morning? >> yes. >> you seem so different than yesterday. just checking. >> is that a question? >> yes. did someone talk with you last night about your demeanor in court yesterday? >> no, i went to sleep. >> reporter: 19-year-old rachel jeantel who testified hearing part of the conversation between george zimmerman and trayvon martin during a phone call was less animated as defense attorney don west worked to show inconsistencies in her various accounts of the phone call. >> describing the person is what made you think it was racial? >> yes. >> and that's because he described him as a creepy [ bleep ] [ bleep ]? >> yes. >> so it was racial, but it was because trayvon martin put race in think? >> no. >> you don't think that's a racial comment? >> no. >> reporter: but west questioned why jeantel in a letter to his mother, left out what she says was the description of the man following him. >> of course you wouldn't say it to sybrina fulton, because it was offensive. correct? >> yes.

disrespectful. >> reporter: and why she told martin's family she was in the hospital and couldn't attend the wake or memorial service. >> you knew that was a lie? >> yes, sir. >> reporter: about whether she said she could or moth could not hear martin say "get off" to zimbabwe, comments made in a taped interview with investigators. >> could you tell who was saying that? i could have heard trayvon. >> i could hear trayvon. >> could of is what this says. >> trust me, they messed up. i could hear trayvon. >> i don't think the defense was able to shake her from her essential story. that trayvon martin told her he was being followed and was concerned about it. >> 911, do you need police, fire, or medical? >> reporter: today, the woman who made the 911 call testified she heard cries. >> the yelps turned to help. it was one person. >> how could you say it was one person? >> sounded like the same person the whole time. >> reporter: and zimmerman

pleaded not guilty to second-degree murder, saying he shot martin in self-defense. after court today, defense attorney mark o'mara says he likes how the trial is going so far and expects it to last about three weeks. brian. >> ron mott, thanks. still ahead for us this evening, macular degeneration. it hits so many americans as they age. but now a new way doctors are restoring what has been lost and giving patients back their independence.

as promised earlier, we have an update tonight on macular degeneration. 15 million americans have it. it usually strikes those over 50. and it's the leading cause of blindness in this country. tonight, we learn not about a cure, but a new navigation tool that is helping patients get along. from our chief medical correspondent nancy snyderman. >> the stairs are marked at each landing. >> reporter: when 77-year-old jim hindman started losing his sight 20 years ago -- >> this is a chapter for my

book. >> reporter: -- it was a devastating blow to his independence. >> the biggest thing was giving up my driver's license. that was i think the moment of despair. >> reporter: jim developed dry age-related macular degeneration. a condition that slowly robs patients of vision from the middle of the eye. >> one eye can be worse than the other and the progression rate may be different for the two eyes. >> reporter: for the roughly two million americans who live with advanced stage macular degeneration, treatments for the dry form have been mostly limited to magnifying lenses. but those weren't good enough for jim. >> well, we've had a very nice tour -- >> reporter: this dynamic businessman who cofounded jiffy lube, coached winning college football teams, and races thoroughbreds knew there had to be something better. he found it at the wilmer eye institute at johns hop skins hospital. there was a miniature telescope transplanted in his eye. >> people with see much more

clearly people's faces, television, looking out into the world. >> reporter: the fda-approved device magnifies objects that would normally be seen by a patient's central vision. that image is then projected on to the healthy part of the retina not affected by macular degeneration. >> this is the size of the letters that you can see now. >> reporter: but it's not a quick fix. >> is it down here or up there? >> reporter: it requires intense rehabilitation to retrain the brain, using the telescopic eye to see detail and the other part for peripheral vision. >> it has been miraculous. the change on my psychological outlook on life was dramatic. >> reporter: while jim knows the telescope isn't is a cure, it is helping him navigate his world once again, bringing what is important back into focus. >> i can see everything. >> reporter: dr. nancy snyderman, nbc news, new york. >> and we're back in just a moment with a big gathering here in new york today to say goodbye.

we have weather extremes tonight starting out west. intense heat putting impressive and oppressive numbers on the board. 103 in reno, 103 salt lake. 119 in phoenix. 114 in las vegas, 126 in death valley, where it's forecast to top out at 128 degrees this weekend. . and on the east, a lot of weather rolling through the east transportation corridor. a weather front firing off thunderstorms, and a lot of rain after a hot and dank day along the eastern seaboard. a grim report card out tonight on our nation's high school seniors. it's from the government. the headline is this. they are leaving high school no better in reading or math than students in the 1970s, decades ago. certain subgroups like younger students, blacks, hispanics, have upped their grades, but apparently more lower-performing kids are staying in school now and that brings the overall graduation grade average.

a lot of doctors have for years been expressing concern over the rise in c-sections being performed purely for scheduling reasons. now new numbers are out today. they show c-sections have leveled off. they still account for exactly 1/3 of all the live births in the united states. and a sad gathering here in new york this morning. took the death of james gandolfini to bring the old gang back together. virtually all of the cast members of "the sopranos" were there, among the crowd of 1500 mourners, was the actor forever identified with the role of tony soprano. in his eulogy, the soprano creator david chase spoke directly to his late friend jimmy, saying "i saw you as a boy, as a sad boy, amazed and confused and loving. and that was all in your eyes. and that's why i think, you were a great actor, because of that boy who was inside." james gandolfini died of a heart attack in rome last week. he was 51 years old.

when we come back, families making a difference for our nation's wounded warriors, in need of a home away from their own.

finally tonight, a small percentage of americans are motivated to raise their hands and volunteer for duty in the uniform in the armed forces. civilian life pretty much goes on while our veterans and their families make towering sacrifice, every one of them. some more than others, however, and when they come home, some need more help than others. which brings us to tonight's making a difference report. it's about something called operation mend. it links vets who need treatment to families who then gain a friend. report from mike taibbi in los angeles. >> reporter: three times they said israel del toro wasn't going to make it. when his humvee was obliterated by an ied in afghanistan, he was set afire. 80% of his body, including his

handsome face, had been hideously burned. it is now eight years and more than 100 surgical procedures later. >> i love working with d.t. >> reporter: dozens of those procedures at the ucla medical center under a program called operation mend. >> that actually healed pretty nicely. >> reporter: healing the body, only one part of the long process. the rest of recovery depends on healing body and soul. >> hi! >> reporter: that's where the schwimmer family comes in. his wife and tv exec michael and kids hanna and john. they are among 70 california families matched to badly injured vets like d.t. giving them a home and personal connection while they are in l.a. for treatment. a connection it turns out in both directions. >> he's teaching gratefulness, he's teaching patience, he's teaching that you are not your body. >> reporter: a chicago south sider and combat tough, d.t. admits when he first saw his ruined face, death seemed preferable.

>> it was like oh my god, if i think i'm a monster, what is my 3-year-old son think about his dad? >> reporter: his son and wife carmen only see him as d.t., a father and husband making a remarkable recovery, few predicted was possible and this. now four years into a friendship for life. >> honey, i got a deer. >> reporter: it's a ride to the movies, a home-cooked meal for operation mend's body and soul approach. >> he is so beautiful inside, it comes out right away to me. >> they are just down to earth. family. i can't explain it. >> it's friendship and family. >> reporter: d.t., not just in the house, but in his other home. mike tiabbi, nbc news, los angeles. >> that's our broadcast on thursday night. thank you for being here with us. i'm brian williams. we hope to see you right back here tomorrow evening. good night.

nbc bay area news starts now. and good evening, everyone. >> new tonight, at 6:00. he was supposed to be part of the solution, but he's part of the problem. he was hered to get kids out of gangs, but tonight, his actions away from work have landed him behind bars. we have the exclusive story. >> reporter: mark collins worked for a program called the aquarius project. that project gets some funding from the gang prevention task

force. they say this is a distraction they don't need. with heavy cut backs, they've had to lean on community groups to help keep the peace. tonight, a man who was supposed to be helping that cause is behind bars. police arrested mark collins over the weekend. he threatened his girlfriend with a stolen, loaded gun. he told officers he worked for the mayor's gang prevention task force. >> our mission is to transform lives and defend children. the last thing i need to to is defend the integrity of the mayor's task force. >> reporter: he was being paid by the aquarius project. >> i'm devastated. >> reporter: hughette joiner runs the project. >> one of the major reasons we were working wh